


When it Comes to You, I Don't Think I Can Sympathize

by lykenbean



Category: Z-O-M-B-I-E-S (Disney Movies)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-09
Updated: 2020-07-09
Packaged: 2021-03-05 06:27:34
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,789
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25159969
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lykenbean/pseuds/lykenbean
Summary: so basically, a Z-O-M-B-I-E-S Divergent!au. I got this idea from my brother and then just kinda ran wild with it.Once again, Wyatt and Liv ship.More Williza.More Zeddison.everyone is human in this au, so no supernatural creatures or beings exist here.
Relationships: Bonzo/Bree (Z-O-M-B-I-E-S), Willa Lykensen/Eliza Zambie, Wyatt Lykensen/Original Female Character(s), Zed Necrodopoulus & Addison Wells
Kudos: 11





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> the first few chapters of this are gonna be kind of a slow build, so bare with me here guys

**_Everyone wants a strong woman until she actually stands up, flexes her muscles, and projects her voice.  
Suddenly, she is too much.  
She has forgotten her place.  
You love those women as ideas, as fantasies  
Not as breathing, living, humans threatening to be even better than you could ever be._**  
Eighteen. Eighteen was an entirely different meaning for the age in Seabrook than it was for a normal society. What does ‘normal society’ mean? Normal was a unified community, a place where everyone felt welcome, and everyone helped each other in times of need. A place where eighteen year olds graduated high school and went about their normal lives. Seabrook was not normal. The community had gone into shambles years ago, before Liv’s parents were born.

Wars were fought, the Congregation came about, and everyone split into different Divisions depending on their personality traits.

Five groups, two constantly at war with each other, and three just watching, trying their best to not choose sides for the fear of their entire community being demolished.

Two of these groups are led by masculinity, the patriarchy: the Wolves and the Lions.

The first group, the Wolves. Mysterious, calculated, determined, hard-working, honest, courageous, strong-willed, protective are just a few words to describe this group. While they’re the bravest of all the Divisions, they also have a bit of a superiority complex. Not as bad as the Lions, but damn near it.

The Lions; Prideful, egotistical, loyal, socialites, vitality, boisterous, diplomatic, leadership, arrogant are these beings. Lions have to be in the spotlight, nobody can top them, and this is why the Wolves go after them.

The Deer; the lively, selfless, optimistic, sensitive, nurturing, vigilant, encouraging, graceful even. These are the more parental figures of the Divisions, the democracy of the whole shit show.

The Falcons; they’re empathetic, compassionate, curious, dependable, dutiful, and a trusting bunch. If you need solid, time-tested advice, this is the Division to go to for sure. Don’t let their exuberant and cheerful demeanor fool you, they’re more intelligent than they seem. Even if it is in their own weird way.

The Owls; gregarious, valiant, agreeable, open, intellectual, analytical. These are the so-called nerd brains of the Divisions. Anything from life expertise to your calculus homework, they’ve got it.

Now, the Congregation is the big meeting for every sixteen year old to choose their group. While most tend to stick to their family’s history, Liv was not planning to by any means, even if part of her mind begged her to do so.

She wasn’t a Deer, there was no way. She wasn’t sensitive or emotional enough.

She’d made up her mind, she was going to choose the Wolf Division, even it meant the Wolves would treat her like prey and devour her during initiation week.

 _Tuesday May 3rd, 7:35 A.M._  
Liv had already been awake for about an hour. Today was Congregation Day. The day that her and her brother would choose their Division. Her family didn’t know what she’d be choosing, but they all hoped she’d stick to the family heritage and choose Deer. In just twenty five short minutes, Congregation would start and she was ready to shock her entire family.

“Olivia!” her mother’s voice rang from downstairs, “hurry up or you’ll be late for Congregation!” 

Liv groaned as she finished pulling her thick auburn colored hair into a high ponytail. She didn’t wear anything too special, just a black t-shirt with some jeans and sneakers.

She went downstairs to the kitchen where everyone was waiting for her, well, everyone except for her brother.

“Uh, where’s Oliver?” Liv asked, taking a seat at the dining table.

It wasn’t like her brother to not be the first one downstairs. He was the timely one, she was always late.

“Oh, he’s just outside tending to the-” Alyce was cut off by her first-born son coming through the kitchen door.

“Heard someone talking about me?” Oliver smirked as he set his gardening gloves on the counter top.

“Ha-ha, very funny Oli.” Liv rolled her eyes as she went to the fridge to make herself a glass of orange juice, “ you can’t hear us yelling at you from across the house, but you can hear us at just a whisper talking about you.” She took a glass from the cabinet then removed the cap from the juice carton, pouring the pulp-free liquid into her glass.

“It’s a sixth sense,” Oliver chuckled, sitting at the dining table, “I can’t help it.”

“Hey kiddos.” Their father greeted as he entered the kitchen, “hey honey.” He greeted their mother with a quick peck on the lips. 

The siblings fake-gagged, something they’d done since they were children whenever their parents exhibited any form of PDA.

“You two,” Alyce laughed, “you’re eighteen years old, when is the fake-gagging at displays of affection gonna end?”

“oooh, good question ma.” Oliver scratched the back of his neck, “Liv, you got an idea?”

Liv shook her head, smiling “nah, I can’t say that I do.” She put the orange juice back in the refrigerator, quickly drinking her glass dry like a camel in the Sahara.

“Come on kids, we gotta get going.” Alyce grabbed her purse from the kitchen island along with her car keys. Everyone piled into Alyce’s rather small car and rode to the run-down convention center that housed the Congregation. While most of everything downtown was old, dilapidated, and honestly rather shabby, it was still home to Liv.

“Welcome to the Congregation!” Elijah, the leader, or the “King” of the Lions announced, “this years’ turn out is a bit smaller than the past, but we can definitely make do of this.” He laughed, his tone carrying a rather condescending tone.

This year, only seventy five young adults would be choosing their Division. In years before, numbers were well into the hundreds. Liv’s senior class was the smallest to go through Congregation in the last twenty years.

Liv wiped her palms on the thighs of her jeans. Why was she nervous? She’d already planned everything out, and she’d made up her mind. There was no going back now.

“Hey, big day huh?” Liv’s life-long friend, Addison nudged her side.

“Yeah.” Liv gave a halfhearted smile, “hey, uh...so I’ve got like this huge surprise planned out.”

“What?!?” Addison shrieked, quickly throwing her hand over her mouth, “what do you mean? You have to tell me, like now!” she finished with a whisper.

“I can’t exactly tell you, but I promise you’ll see it soon.” Liv smiled.

“Girls?” Elijah asked, motioning to Addison and Liv, who’d been near the back of the large banquet hall, “why all the chatter? eager to choose our Division, hmm?”

“Oh- I- no, no!” Addison nervously laughed, “we’re just...talking about our...summer vacation!” 

Liv mentally facepalmed. Was that really the best excuse Addison could come up with?

“Uh huh...” Elijah murmured, “well then, Miss Wells, I’m sure you won’t mind being the first up to choose your Division then?” 

Addison gulped, but shook her head, “uh, n-no sir. Not at all.” She tried to cover her nervousness with a smile as she approached the stage to announce her choice.

“You’ve got it, Addi.” Liv smiled in an attempt to reassure her friend, “you’re not that shy little kindergartner that you used to be.”

Addison stepped onto the stage, facing all of her peers.

“Now, Miss Wells, please tell us your Division of choice.” Elijah stepped aside to allow Addison to have everyone’s attention.

“I choose...” Addison looked into the sea of people at her family, then to her best friend, “Deer.” She finally took a relieved breath as she stepped off of the stage.

“A fine choice for you.” Elijah’s lips curved into a smirk, “Willa Lykensen, please come forward and choose your Division.”

As Willa approached the stage, she seemed vulnerable to Liv. Like she had a tough as nails exterior, but she was trying to hide something that she wanted to let out.

“Thanks,” Willa’s tone was flat, “I choose Wolf. Not like I really have much of a choice.” Her eyes cut over to her family; her aunt, uncle, and twin brother, Wyatt.

Willa returned to the crowd of people, distancing herself from her family. She took the seat on the bench next to Liv, Addison, and Bree.

“Hey!” Addison smiled, “I’m Addison. And this is Bree and Liv.”

Addison was the one to always try and make friends with anyone she could, a typical Deer trait but sometimes she couldn’t see the boundaries.

“Willa.” The curly haired girl gave a weak smile, “I look forward to becoming acquainted with you girls.”

Liv smiled at Willa, startled when Elijah’s voice rang out to announce for Bree to choose her Division.

“Miss Montgomery, you have the stage.” Elijah took Bree’s hand to help her up.

Both Addison and Liv offered reassuring smiles to Bree, hoping it would help her get over her fear of large crowds and being on stage.

“H-hi everyone,” Bree’s voice was shaky, like a tinge of panic had set in, “I’m Bree Montgomery, but you guys already knew that!”

Liv’s smile faultered a bit as Bree began her rambling, a coping mechanism to help her anxiety.

“Anyway, I choose...Deer!” Bree smiled and quickly excused herself from the stage, returning to her friends.

“Well, sometimes you just can’t shake that Deer mentality, huh?” Elijah joked, adjusting his shirt collar, “let’s have another Lykensen, why don’t we?”

Wyatt was visibly unimpressed, but still went up to the stage.

“I think we all know my choice.” His voice was full of arrogance, “I can’t let my family down as future Alpha, can I?”

 _Fuck, he sounds like a total jerk._ Was the only thought Liv could formulate.

“We all know I have to choose Wolf. Gotta keep the Alpha bloodline going.” Wyatt smirked before leaving the stage.

“That’s my brother,” Willa whispered to Liv, “complete and total asshole.”

Liv giggled a bit at Willa’s description of her brother, “seems like it.”

“He’s the younger one, but since the Wolf Division is run by patriarchy and rather toxic masculinity, he’s first in line for Alpha.” Willa crossed her arms, leaning back against the table.

Liv smiled, “were gonna fight that patriarchy, and end it. Together.”

Willa was impressed by Liv making such a strong statement. “Yeah! You know what, I like you already.” She playfully elbowed Liv’s side.

Liv gave her a flashy smile, “I think a new friendship has just been forged.”

Between the time the two girls had started talking, three other people had already chosen their Divisions. One being Addison’s boyfriend, Zed Necrodopolous and another close friend, Eliza Zambie. The third, Bonzo Graves, though the usually silent type, was still a very integral part of the small group of friends.

Zed and Bonzo had chosen Falcon, while Eliza chose Owl. The girl had a penchant for technology, and she was an Owl through and through. After them, a girl with a family history of choosing the Wolf group stepped onto the stage.

“Wynter Barkowitz,” Elijah announced, “have you made your selection?”

The young girl nodded, “yes I have...I have chosen...Falcon.” she sounded ashamed as the Wolf Division laughed and poked fun at her for her choice.

Wynter shamefully returned to her seat, but was called over by Willa and began to make friends with the small group of girls.

After what seemed like hours, Liv and her brother were finally called up. Her brother chose Owl, not one to veer too far from their family heritage.

“Miss Greene.” Elijah called Liv up to the stage, “how could we forget possibly the most...determined seed of the bunch?”

Liv stepped up onto the stage. Her mother’s eyes looked as if they pleaded with her, holding onto the last shred of hope that one of her children would choose to stay a Deer.

“Thank you, Elijah.” Liv gave the man a halfhearted smile, “I know there’s been so much hope from my family that my brother and I would stay true to our heritage but...I just can’t do that.”

Alyce was taken aback by her daughter’s words, “what do you mean?” She mouthed to her only daughter.

“I need something that will challenge me. Something that will give me a different pace of life. All my life I’ve been groomed to be a Deer, but that’s not me.” Liv shook her head, her slender fingers combing through her hair.

“Miss Greene, a touching story, really, but what is your choice?” Elijah pushed the issue.

“You’d love to know, wouldn’t you? You probably think I’m going to choose Lion, hm?” Liv glanced at Elijah, who weakly nodded.

“While I might be prideful, I’m not that egotistical.” Liv hissed, “I choose Wolf.” She kept eye contact with Elijah as she signed her name on the Congregation check-in sheet just as everyone else did before her.

“W-well,” Elijah was shocked by the young woman’s decision, “the Lions would’ve been proud to have you, Liv. But I’m sure the Wolves would love to have some fresh Deer meat for initiation week.” His lips curved into a rather sinister grin.

Liv slammed the ballpoint pen down on the podium before she left the stage. She felt a pair of eyes following her from the stage to her seat beside Willa, none other than the Lykensen boy’s, the heir to Alpha, the pompous asshole that Willa had to deal with for a brother.

“Wolf, huh?” Willa smirked as Liv sat next to her, “nice power move. Welcome the the club, Greene.”

Liv smiled proudly, “thanks, Lykensen. Next stop: overthrowing the patriarchy.”

Willa offered the chesnut-haired girl a first bump, a sign of a newly forged friendship between the two.

The rest of Congregation Day continued with one last time for everyone to see their friends before Initiation Week started. Liv mostly stayed around Addison, Willa, Bree, and Wynter, at least until Addison dragged the group over to Zed and Bonzo, who’d been spending time with their families.

“Addi! Liv!” Zoey exclaimed as she ran into the two older girls’ arms. Zoey was almost 12 now, but she still loved Addison and Liv with all of her heart, often saying that they were like the older sisters she never had.

“Hey Zoey!” Liv wrapped her arms around the younger girl, seeing Zed with a smile on his face.

“What’s goin’ on, Lil L?” Zed laughed, using his childhood nickname for Liv.

“Oh you know, changing my family history is keeping me busy.” Liv giggled, “what’s going on with you?”

“Trying to keep Eliza from causing a revolt and creating an even bigger war has been keeping both Bonzo and I on our toes.” Zed laughed as Bonzo nodded.

“Yeah, she set up an entire plan and everything, like no steps were missed.” Bonzo cringed a bit, flashing a rather forced smile.

“Oh please, you two wouldn’t even half have a brain together to stop me!” Eliza crossed her arms.

“Yeah, right! Like you’re just the biggest genius on the planet.” Zed scoffed, draping his arm over Liv’s shoulders as Addison snuggled into him.

“Compared to you, yeah.” Eliza smirked.

“Okay, you guys I thi-” Liv had been cut off by Willa, who finally interjected in the argument.

“Hey Eliza, you’re definitely smarter than he looks.” Willa laughed, taking her turn to poke a little fun at Zed.

“Ha!” Bonzo laughed, “sick burn.”

Bree snuggled into Bonzo’s side just as Addison had done with Zed.

“Okay, moving on before you guys really hurt my feelings.” Zed mocked being offended, “So Liv, it looks like you caught the eye of Future Alpha boy over there, what’s all that about?”

Liv shook her head, “I don’t even know, it probably nothing.” She shrugged.

“Well uh, don’t look now...but he’s still got his eye on you...” Bree nodded towards the table that Willa’s brother was.

Liv quickly looked over, noticing the Lykensen boy’s gaze fixated on her, then turned her attention back to her group.

“So?” Liv shrugged, “if he can’t stop staring at me, that’s his problem not mine.”

“Yeah,” Willa nodded, “my brother is like the poster child for being a complete jackass.”

“Whoa, you mean you’ve always had to deal with _him?_?” Zed’s jaw hung a bit slack in disbelief, “I feel so sorry for you having to grow up with such a dick for a brother.”

“Oh, he’s worse than a dick.” Wynter finally spoke, “he’s like a dick times a thousand. We’re pretty sure he’s gonna run things just like his uncle does.”

“I see why you chose Falcon, Wynter.” Liv smiled, “you wanted to get away from the oppression of your group.”

Wynter nodded, “I grew up getting picked on because I show my emotions so easily. The only one who ever really stood up for me is Willa.” She smiled, looking up at her best friend. 

“Well, now you have me and all of my friends by your side too, so welcome to the group.” Liv smiled.

Wynter gave a warm smile, as she finally felt like she was accepted somewhere.

“So Wolf, huh?” Zed smirked at Liv, “they’re gonna look at you like a fresh piece of meat.”

Liv shrugged, as she was mostly nonchalant about the Wolves. She had a plan, and she would stick to it. Not even a guy like Wyatt could derail that for her. So what if they looked at her like she was fresh meat?

_It wasn’t her problem, just like Wyatt wasn’t her problem._


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> still kind of a slow build here, basically just some background

_She’s a badass with a good heart, soft but strong, unapologetic and honest  
She’s the type of woman you go to war beside- not against._

Initiation week. A living hell for most, but an enviornment for Liv to thrive in. She looked forward to proving her doubters wrong. Her biggest doubter? The Lykensen males, who seemed disproving of every little move she made so far.

“Welcome, new members of the Wolf Division.” Willa and Wyatt’s uncle, Ronan Lykensen announced, “this coming week you will all be tested on combat skill, endurance, and intelligence.”

Liv straightened up next to Willa, who maintained eye contact with her uncle.

“If you are in the bottom ten of your class, you will be removed from this Division, and sent on your way.” Ronan sneered at one of the smaller female members of the group. She was about the same size as Liv, maybe 4’11” or 5’0”, around 110 pounds.

“Now you all know we have a system here. That system being that we choose an Alpha male once they are at age, and my nephew, Wyatt is near that time where we will challenge me for the title of Alpha.” Ronan walked along the line of newcomers, seemingly judging each of them by appearance.

“Yeah, let’s praise the golden boy.” Liv smirked as she whispered to Willa, who had a smile like the Cheshire cat’s.

“Excuse me?” The Alpha turned his head to the two girls, “anything you’d like to share?”

“Oh no, nothing at all sir.” Liv shook her head, but smiled, “I do have a question though, if you don’t mind me asking?”

Ronan’s brow arched in amusement, “go ahead, Liv Greene, is it? You have the floor.”

Liv nodded as she crossed her arms, her hip jutted out a bit, “why is it that only males get to challenge for Alpha? Females are just as deserving as any male.”

The Alpha seemed amused by Liv’s inquiry, “right you are, young lady.” He smirked, turning his attention to his nephew, then back to Liv, “but females are simply just too emotional to lead.”

Liv gave a look of disgust as the Alpha walked away, continuing his welcome speech.

“As I was saying,” Ronan returned to his spot beside Wyatt, “you will go through a series of challenges to determine your worth.”

 _Determine our worth? We’re not prized possessions, dude._  
The mere thought of her being seen as some prize was enough to make Liv’s blood boil.

“Your first challenge today is endurance. You’ll go through an obstacle course consisting of running, jumping over obstacles and dodging them, rock wall climbing, dodging more obstacles, and then it will culminate with rope climbing to ring a bell to signify that you are done with the course. The quickest ones will be at the top of the rankings on the board, the slowest will have to find their composure.”

The Alpha heir kept his eyes on Liv, like his gaze never left her. Liv didn’t mind it, though she couldn’t help but to wonder why she’d caught his attention so much.

_Would it come down to them challenging each other in the future to see who’d get to challenge for Alpha?_

“First up,” Ronan’s voice rang through the warehouse, “Willa and Liv.”

The girls stepped forward, hand in hand as a sign of support.

“I’ll go first.” Willa broke the silence, “I can set the pace for everyone else so they can get a feel for it.”

She’d ran the course hundreds of times as a kid, and knew it like the back of her hand, plus she wanted to give everyone a fair chance.

“Very well then.” Ronan stepped back, allowing his niece to come forward, “Good luck, Willa.”

Willa nodded as the time started for her course run, she made it through the first part with ease, her speed picking up before she began jumping over and dodging obstacles, then the rock climbing slowed her down a little bit, but she endured and scaled both sides of the wall easily, the obstacles on the other side only slowing her down for a split second.

The frizzy-haired girl made her way to the rope, sliding down about an inch every time she made it maybe three inches up.

“Time!” Ronan called as Willa rang the bell, “six minutes and twenty six seconds, impressive.”

Willa smirked as she made her way back to the group.

“Liv, you’re next up.” Ronan motioned for her to step into the starting platform.

Liv nodded, taking her place.

 _You’ve got this, you can do this. You’re fighting to change the world you live in._  
“Begin!” Ronan announced, starting the timer.

Liv dodged the obstacles with ease, one hitting her in the ankle but she wasn’t phased by it.

She continued to the rock wall, climbing the large structure at an astounding speed, as she came down the other side, her freshly injured ankle rolled under her body weight, but she kept her balance. Liv stopped to take a breath, ready to run through the remaining obstacles to the rope that hung from the rafters.

Liv’s own weight bearing down on her ankle was excruciating, but the adrenaline blocked out her pain reception. She approached the rope, remembering a climbing tactic that her brother had taught her when they were kids.

“Grip with the feet, use the upper body strength to pull yourself up.” Liv whispered to herself, grabbing the coarse rope. She pulled herself up, her feet wrapping around it.

For the longest minute of her life, she scaled the rope, feeling the material cut into her hands as she finally reached the top, ringing the bell.

As Ronan stopped the timer, Liv slid down the rope, her ankle cracking as she landed on it, but she ignored what little twinge of pain it caused.

“Five minutes and fifty two seconds.” Ronan smiled, “very impressive for someone who came from a Deer family.”

Liv scoffed as the Alpha’s mock-impression didn’t really convince her.

“Wyatt,” Ronan smiled at his nephew, “why don’t you show everyone how easy this part of the challenge is for you?”

“Golden boy....” Willa sing-songed to Liv as her brother stepped up to the starting platform.

Liv giggled a bit at Willa’s joke about her brother, but she was slightly impressed with how quickly Wyatt was getting through the course. It was almost like it was inhuman capabilities.

In record time, Wyatt scaled the rope, ringing the bell before he slid down.

“Three minutes, eighteen seconds.” Ronan smiled as the timer hung down by his side, “anyone think they can beat that?”

After countless other initiates trying to beat Wyatt’s time, for hours on end, it was clear that nobody could. For the first day rankings, he’d earned the coveted number one spot.

Liv and Willa sat in their shared quarters, chatting over the events of their day.

“Are you kidding me?” Willa laughed, “Wyatt gets everything handed to him because he’s the first born male. He’s put in the work because he got our dad’s work ethic, but other than that, our uncle puts him on this pedestal, like he’s incomparable.”

Liv shook her head as she finished eating the small bag of chips she’d gotten from one of the vending machines in the hallway, “I mean, it’s like he’s a god or something, like no matter what anyone else does, if they’re not Wyatt, it doesn’t matter.”

“Exactly!” Willa exclaimed as there was a knock at the door. She turned to Liv, her face contorted into a confused expression.

Liv shrugged, “I dunno. I’m not expecting anyone.” The knocking came again, this time more impatiently.

Willa already knew exactly who it was by the impatient knocking. “What the fuck do you want, Wyatt?” The door opened to reveal Wyatt, who walked in and closed the door behind himself.

“Oh how nice of you to respect our privacy.” Liv’s eyes narrowed as she gave Wyatt a taste of her sarcasm.

Willa tried her best to hold back a laugh, but her turning away to hide her face showed that was a fail.

Wyatt dismissed Liv’s comment, “listen Willa, early in the morning I’m gonna get some extra training in, so if you need me, don’t bother me.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it, Captain Dick.” Willa smirked as she turned back to her desk, acting as if she was scribbling down a note of what her brother just told her.

“Oh yeah, nice job out there today, Princess. Great rope climbing technique.” Wyatt gave a sly smirk as he left the room, closing the door.

Willa turned to Liv, with a ‘wow’ expression written on her face, “a compliment from my brother? That’s rare, actually I don’t think that’s ever happened before.”

“I don’t think it’s that big of a deal.” Liv rolled her eyes, “besides, it’s not like he actually means it.”

“Uh huh...” Willa smirked, crossing her arms over her chest, “I know my brother, and that was a genuine compliment. Before you know it, he’ll be trying to make a move on you.”

Liv snorted, “yeah, okay.”

“I’m serious!” Willa laughed, “he even called you ‘Princess’, before you know it you’ll be in the palm of his hand.”

“Nah,” Liv shook her head, “I don’t fawn over a guy that easy.”

That was a lie. Sure, Liv was only in one relationship for her entire life, and it really wasn’t even worth calling a relationship.

Did she think Wyatt was cute? Maybe. Did she think it would be worth it to actually try and pursue something with him? Definitely not. Between the two of them, there was probably enough baggage to fill the entire conveyor belt at baggage claim.

But something about Wyatt drew her to him, like a moth to a flame. Was it his looks? The way he can play coy and manage to seem like it’s believable? That smirk? Whatever it was, it wasn’t his personality, that was for sure.

“Hello?” Willa waved her hand in front of Liv’s face, “earth to Liv?”

Liv shook her head, trying to clear her mind. Why was she think about Wyatt? “Sorry, I was just...thinking.”

“Mhm...” Willa murmured, returning to her journal.

The thoughts flooded Liv’s mind like a tsunami. As much as she wanted to block them out, to just push them out of her mind for good, she couldn’t.

_What was it? Was Wyatt really that attractive to her? Was his vibe something that she found to be magnetic? Was it his eyes, the way that they seemed to shimmer as the light hit them just the right way? Whatever it was, it definitely caught Liv’s attention with a vice-like grip._


	3. Chapter 3

**_“The most dangerous woman of all  
is the one who refuses  
to rely on your sword  
to save her  
because she carries her own.”  
-r.h. Sin_ **

_1:22 A.M., May 5th_  
Liv had finally gotten some time to write in her journal because Willa had finally fallen asleep and there were no other possible interruptions.

She’d already scrawled out a few lines about how she felt being in a new Division and how the first day was for her.

And then her eyes rested on what little she’d written about Wyatt, her mind racing as every thought from ‘he’s a total dick’ to ‘but he’s kinda cute’ filtered through.

“Just stop thinking about him...” Liv groaned to herself before setting her journal in her bedside drawer.

 _Why was Wyatt so magnetic to her?_  
Liv shook her head before falling back against her pillows, deciding to finally get some sleep.

_6:27 A.M., May 5th_  
Liv woke up three minutes before her alarm went off, but she wasn’t by any means in a good mood.

She looked over to see that Willa was still asleep, so she went ahead and took her morning shower.

As the hot water hit Liv’s skin, her mind seemed as if it was alleviated from all thoughts of Wyatt. If Liv didn’t know any better, she’d say that her morning routine of soak, lather, and rinse was removing the thoughts from her mind.

After rinsing off, Liv stepped out of the shower, wrapping a dark purple cotton towel around her body, and her hair in a gray towel.

Liv quickly dried off and got dressed, then began to dry her hair.

After drying her hair, she was in the middle of applying her makeup when she was interrupted.

“Hey Liv, you almost done in there?” Willa knocked on the bathroom door.

“Yeah, just a second!” Liv called back as she looked at the clock on the bathroom wall that read 7:05 A.M.

Liv quickly finished her light makeup, then cleaned up her things and left the bathroom so Willa could take her shower.

While Willa took her shower, Liv rearranged her dresser drawers and then quickly pulled her thick chestnut colored hair into a high ponytail.

She closed the dresser drawer that contained her photo albums and some loose photos of her and her brother. As much as she wanted to look at them, she knew she needed to keep a clear mind for the second half of endurance testing today- a three mile run.

“Who do you think is gonna have the fastest time for the run today?” Willa asked as she came from the bathroom, her curly dark brown hair wrapped up in a towel.

“I dunno,” Liv shrugged, “it could really be anyone but it’ll probably be Wyatt.”

Dammit, there the brain goes again: thinking about _him._ What was it with that anyway? Was her subconscious trying to tell her something? If it was that she hated him more than anything else, that message was loud and clear.

_Or maybe her subconscious was using Wyatt as fuel to her fire to make her do better in training and get noticed?_

“Yeah,” Willa snorted, “Golden Boy can’t come second to anyone, let alone his own sister.”

Liv snapped out of her thoughts, shaking her head as she answered, “yeah...talk about a superiority complex.”

Willa untwisted the towel the held her hair, letting her curly waves flow freely. “Who knows though? Maybe you’ll be the one to knock him off his pedestal.”

“I wish.” Liv leaned back against her bed, “I don’t think your uncle is gonna let anyone be above Wyatt, no matter how good they are.”

“He might, if you manage to impress him enough.” Willa rolled her eyes, knowing that impressing her uncle was no easy feat.

 _That’s it. That’s what lit the fire under Liv._  
Liv jumped up from the floor, “you know what? I think I can do that. I’ll see ya out there, Wil.”

She offered a fist bump to Willa as she left their shared quarters, being the first one to start prepping for the run.

As Liv arrived at the track, and she noticed that Wyatt had already beaten her there.

 _Seriously, what the hell is it with this prick?_  
“Ready to really push yourself today, Princess?” Wyatt smirked at Liv as she shoved her phone into her pocket and popped her earbuds in.

“Huh?” Liv cocked her head, “sorry, can’t hear you. Music’s too loud.” She promptly turned the volume on her phone all the way up as she took a bite from the protein bar she’d gotten from the vending machine.

Wyatt shook his head because he knew Liv heard him, she’d just elected to ignore him. Unbeknownst to Liv, there was just something that Wyatt found magnetic about her too.

Liv began stretching her legs, knowing that this three mile run would take a lot from her both mentally physically, she started a workout playlist that her brother had made for her titled _you got this, Sissy. love, Bubba_. When he’d gotten her phone to make it, she didn’t know, but she decided she’d give it a listen.

“You know, it’d really be a shame for a girl as strong as you to end up proving her doubters right.” Wyatt put a hand on Liv’s shoulder, a somewhat devilish smirk on his face.

Liv couldn’t hear him due to her music being as loud as she could possibly have it, but his hand on her shoulder startled her, making her jump.

“You’re lucky I didn’t punch you in the face out of instinct.” Liv removed an earbud, “I’d hate to damage that pretty face of yours, you'd have nothing to make up for your shitty personality then.” She smirked, going back to her stretching.

Wyatt was pleased that she’d actually complimented him for once, “don’t push yourself too far, Princess.”

Willa finally arrived on the scene, intervening between Wyatt and Liv, “Don’t you dare touch her.”

Wyatt rolled his eyes at his sister’s comment, “and what would you do?”

“I know how you are,” Willa crossed her arms, “and if you hurt Liv, I’d hate to have to kill my own brother.”

Wyatt held his hands up in defense, “alright, I won’t do anything. Good luck Wil. Good luck, Princess.” He winked at Liv before turning on his heel to go to his group of equally pretentious friends.

Liv rolled her eyes at Wyatt before turning to walk with Willa to the starting point on the track.

“Either he’s hardcore flirting with you and you’re returning the favor, or you’re gonna end up killing each other.” Willa smirked, elbowing Liv’s side.

“Yeah,” Liv snorted, “the latter is the better bet there.”

Willa shook her head, “y’know you can just admit if you think he’s cute or not. I’ve heard lots of girls say it but you’re the only one who’s actually caught his attention.”

“Really?” Liv’s brow arched, “he’s never given another girl his attention so quickly?”

Willa shook her head, “sure he’s been with a few girls and kind of toyed with their feelings but he just seems...different with you. I mean, he calls you ‘Princess’, no other girl has gotten that privilege.”

Liv could feel her cheeks heat up at that comment. “It’s whatever, it’s not like I’ll actually pursue anything with him.” She shrugged, stopping at the starting line of the track.

_Now was not the time to focus on Wyatt, now was the time to focus on getting through this endurance test and through initiation week._

“It’s good to see that everyone who can handle the challenges are still here...” Ronan’s condescending tone broke the silence, “I’m sure this simple challenge won’t break you.”

It was clear that at least half of the initiates wouldn’t make it through, and about a third of the ones that did would just barely scrape by. Liv wasn’t going to be one of the ones that just barely made it, she was going to be at the top no matter what it took.

“Remember, if you can’t make it through today and tomorrow without getting out of the bottom ten, you’re out.” Ronan’s lips curved into a smirk, “now, take your places...and begin!”

Liv bolted as soon as she heard the word ‘begin’, and held the lead over everyone for at least a few minutes before Willa and Wyatt finally caught up to her.

“What’s the matter, getting tired already sweetheart?” Wyatt smirked as he finally passed Liv.

Liv scoffed as she tried to keep up with him, trailing by only a few feet, with Willa at her side.

“Ignore him,” Willa tried to reason, “he’s just trying to get in your head.”

Liv smiled, “yeah, I know.” She speed up again, catching up to Wyatt.

Willa smiled as Liv caught back up to Wyatt, the two of them evenly matched for what seemed like the first time.

“I don’t get tired, pretty boy.” Liv teased as she kept her pace alongside Wyatt, “you look like you’re getting a little worse for wear though.” She smirked, barely pulling ahead of Wyatt.

Liv kept track of her running time on her phone, finishing her last lap at just over thirty one minutes, three minutes shy of Wyatt’s time and just about the same as Willa’s, if not just a few milliseconds difference between them.

As a few of the initiates waited for the others to finish, Wyatt found himself gravitating to Liv again.

“Not so bad,” the future Alpha smirked, “I’m sure you could’ve done better though, right?”

“And I’m sure you could use your oh-so-precious time and bother someone else.” Liv sneered as she pulled her hair tighter to adjust the hair tie, turning to Willa, who couldn’t help but smirk.

“Maybe I don’t want to bother just anyone, maybe it’s fun to come along and bother you.” Wyatt crossed his arms over his chest, leaning against one of the old goalposts.

That struck a chord with Liv, but she kept her façade so neither Wyatt or Willa could tell what she was really thinking.

“Yeah, keep it up and we might have to actually fight each other in the first round of combat training tomorrow. I’d hate for you to have to lose a fight to a girl.” Liv turned on her heel to face Wyatt, his face falling from a smirk to damn near emotionless.

“Hm, no offense, but are you sure you’ve got what it takes to handle a fight?” Wyatt smirked, “it’s nothing like a little playground fight. It gets pretty brutal sometimes.”

Liv nodded, “yeah, I’m sure I can handle it. Can’t be so hard if you can do it, right? Unless you're scared of getting a broken nose?”

As Liv began to walk away with Willa, she noticed that Willa was trying her best to hold back a laugh, but she eventually cracked.

“I’ve never seen someone make my brother look so dumbfounded like that.” Willa looked over her shoulder at Wyatt, who still stood where they were, his eyes on Liv.

“What can I say? It takes a special kind of person to make me feel any emotions other than anger or sarcasm.”

Wyatt didn’t know what it was, but there was something about Liv that kept drawing him back to her.

_He wanted her, and he had to have her._

Initiation week was the hardest for everyone, but the only good thing was that the next day would be the day that everyone got to take a breather and relax with all of their friends.

Liv had spent the last four and a half hours readying herself for combat training by sparring with a punching bag in the gym.

Checking her watch she noted the time, 11:23 PM.

She decided she should probably head back to her quarters, so she unwrapped the tape from her hands, discarding it in the trash can by the door.

When she got back to her quarters, she saw no light under the door which meant that Willa was asleep.

Then she saw it: a sticky note on her door.

**_If you want to practice combat with a real human instead of a punching bag, meet me in the gym tomorrow evening around 7:00 -Wyatt_ **


End file.
